For a unit timelike normal , the induced metric is . The spatial covariant derivative projects the derivative and all free indices with the spatial projection tensor . Metric compatibility gives ; projecting kills the normal factor in each term. Thus the spatial covariant derivative is compatible with the induced metric.
Non-null hypersurface projection 2026-10-06
A non-null hypersurface projection annihilates the unit normal vector and fixes tangent vectors to the hypersurface. It obeys . Apply it to every tensor index to remove normal components, with the metric used to lower or raise the index pair for covariant slots. For a timelike unit normal in mostly-plus signature it is the spatial projection tensor. A null normal cannot be normalized this way, and a null hypersurface requires additional choices for a corresponding projection.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 iii Paper 57 1 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Use for the conformal expansion rate and for the physical Hubble parameter. A future unit normal to a constant- slice isIt has norm minus one, and the spatial projection tensor is . The nonzero connections needed here are , and . Thus . Projection removes every normal component, yieldingThis uses the positive-expansion convention for extrinsic curvature in the question. With the alternative convention that inserts an overall minus sign, all these extrinsic-curvature quantities change sign.
For a comoving cell, the physical volume is proportional to . Its logarithmic derivative in proper time is . Thus the trace is the expansion rate of the normal congruence: positive for expansion and negative for contraction. The isotropic tensor has vanishing trace-free shear. It measures homogeneous expansion, not the intrinsic spatial curvature, which is zero in this flat model.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 57 1 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Use signature and write for the spatial induced metric, for its spatial covariant derivative, and . The negative shift vector convention gives and . Decomposing the scalar field derivative givesVarying the scalar field matter action with respect to the inverse metric tensor, including the variation of , gives the stress-energy tensorRaising both indices gives the requested . Contracting with the unit normal twice, or once with the spatial projection tensor, givesProjecting both indices of the stress-energy tensor onto the spatial hypersurface givesTwo printed identifications require correction. The canonical momentum of the displayed density is , not : explicitly and differentiation with respect to supplies . Thus is the normal scalar-field momentum. Also, the printed trace-free stress has an extra factor and uses where the general spatial induced metric requires . In an orthonormal spatial frame the latter becomes , but the coefficient is still one. For a gradient in that frame, direct projection gives , rather than the printed . The PDF's energy-density gradient is spatial ; the TeX aid's spacetime index there is an OCR defect.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 53 1 a iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Differentiate the spatial projection tensor before making any contractions:For the spatial projector derivative identity, its first term vanishes after projection on . The definition of the extrinsic curvature of a spatial hypersurface then gives the stronger tensor identityHere remains a free index. For a normal to a genuine foliation, the extrinsic curvature is symmetric: projecting gives zero because locally is a scalar multiple of a time gradient. This is hypersurface orthogonality implies symmetric extrinsic curvature.
Contract with in the stronger identity to obtain exactly the contraction displayed in the PDF:The last equality follows from the transversality of the extrinsic curvature. Thus the literal printed identity is valid, although both its sides vanish; the uncontracted identity explains its geometric origin.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 53 1 a ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
With the signature and , direct expansion of the two spatial projection tensors givesThis restriction is negative definite on spatial vectors. The positive spatial induced metric is instead , whose pullback to a time slice is the used in the line element. The spatial metric sign for a unit timelike normal is important here: the plus sign in the PDF's claimed equality is incompatible with its normal normalization: is not even transverse to .
The spatial covariant derivative of a spatial tensor projects every index, including its derivative index. Projection only on the derivative index is sufficient for a scalar but not for a general tensor. Using metric compatibility of the spacetime Levi-Civita connection, we obtainEach term contains a normal contracted with its spatial projection tensor. Consequently , and the negative spatial restriction also satisfies . This proves the requested metric compatibility of the spatial covariant derivative after correcting the source's metric sign. Contracting indices gives the particular expression written in the question.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 53 1 a i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Write for the positive spatial metric tensor and for its inverse. Expanding the 3+1 decomposition gives , and . The inverse isFor example, , and . The spatial block similarly gives . These checks determine all blocks without treating the spatial block alone as the inverse of the four-metric.
Raising the normal covector with this inverse metric tensor yieldsTake so it is future-pointing. Its norm is . The spatial projection tensor obeys , and multiplication givesThus it is an idempotent linear projection onto vectors tangent to the spatial hypersurface. The negative spatial components of the spacetime metric tensor do not change this idempotence.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 55 1 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use signature , the positive spatial metric , and a future-directed unit normal , so . This fixes the sign of the normal to agree with the specified . The negative normal covector printed in the source would instead give ; its orientation and the displayed derivative cannot both be retained. Use the operational negative-expansion convention for the extrinsic curvature of a spatial hypersurface, , which is the convention giving the requested expanding-universe sign. With this future normal and signature it equals ; the source's identity instead uses its past-pointing normal.
For the scalar-field matter projections, put and . Decomposing the scalar gradient into normal and tangent parts gives . Contracting the Klein-Gordon scalar stress-energy tensor with the normal and the spatial projection tensor therefore yieldsIn particular, the positive spatial metric raises the indices in ; raising them with the four-metric would reverse that spatial sign. These quantities are the energy density, momentum density and spatial stress in the normal frame.
For the homogeneous Spatially flat FLRW metric, , and . Consequently , , , , andThe intrinsic Ricci scalar is zero and . The Hamiltonian constraint thus gives the scalar-field Friedmann equation:The momentum constraint is identically satisfied, since its homogeneous spatial derivatives and vanish. The scalar equation reduces to . Substituting and multiplying by gives the background inflaton equation of motion:No derivation of the supplied gravitational constraints is needed.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 309 1 iii 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The electric part of the Weyl tensor has one normal in each antisymmetric pair of the Weyl tensor. ThereforeFor the magnetic part of the Weyl tensor, contracting the first slot gives by antisymmetry of the metric volume tensor; contracting the second gives by antisymmetry of the last curvature pair. Consequently both tensors are entirely spatial:These spatial projection tensor identities actually hold for any Weyl tensor; the vacuum assumption is needed subsequently to replace it by the Riemann curvature tensor.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 309 1 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use signature , so the future-directed unit normal obeys . The spatial projection tensor and the induced metric areIndeed and : this is an idempotent linear map onto the tangent space of the spatial hypersurface. For a covariant tensor both slots must be projected:Contracting either slot with supplies the vanishing factor . Thus both normal contractions vanish, without requiring symmetry of .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 312 1 a ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Differentiate the normalization of the timelike unit normal with the metric-compatible covariant derivative:Thus the derivative of the normal is already orthogonal to the normal in its second index. Expanding the second spatial projection tensor in the definition of the extrinsic curvature of a spatial hypersurface givesTo prove symmetry using Frobenius theorem, set . Hypersurface orthogonality is equivalent toContract this with . The last two terms vanish because a projected normal vanishes, while in the first term. HenceThe antisymmetric part of the doubly projected covariant derivative of is therefore zero. This proves that hypersurface orthogonality implies symmetric extrinsic curvature:No geodesic assumption for the normal congruence is needed; its normal acceleration may be nonzero.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 312 1 a i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Using the normalization of the timelike unit normal, the spatial projection tensor satisfiesLikewise and . The spacetime form of the induced metric is thereforeIts restriction to the slice is the given three-metric. Metric compatibility of the four-dimensional Levi-Civita connection givesApply the three projectors defining the spatial covariant derivative. In the first summand , and in the second . Both summands vanish, soThis proves the metric compatibility of the spatial covariant derivative without treating the spatial projection tensor itself as covariantly constant.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 311 2 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Take . The first fundamental form, or induced metric, is the spatial projection tensorWith the convention used in the question, define the second fundamental form byLocally is proportional to the gradient of a defining function for the hypersurface, so and . Both derivative indices are projected tangentially. If two extensions of agree on , their difference vanishes there, as does its tangential derivative, so is independent of the extension.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 357 1 a i Solution 2026-09-28
Expanding the spatial projection tensor givesRearrangement yields the normal-plus-spatial decompositionIt also makes immediate.
With signature and , the spatial projection tensor is . Projecting the spacetime metric tensor gives , which is negative definite on spatial vectors. The positive spatial induced metric is . A plus sign in belongs to a different normal/signature convention and is not transverse in this one. Fully projected covariant derivatives of either spatial metric vanish by metric compatibility.
Spatial projector derivative identity 2026-10-06
Differentiating the spatial projection tensor and projecting its derivative and covariant indices leaves , where is the extrinsic curvature of a spatial hypersurface. Contracting with gives zero because is transverse. This distinction separates the informative tensor identity, with a free normal index, from its vanishing trace. Hypersurface orthogonality implies symmetric extrinsic curvature.